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DeWolf's Wharf

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1797. 267 Thames St.
  • (Photograph by Matthew Aungst)

For most of its two centuries of existence, this wharf has been owned by only two families: the DeWolfs, who maintained it until 1861, and Seth Paull, whose family lumber business was centered here until 1952 (see BR3). The four historic components of the wharf include Byron Diman's counting house (c. 1835), a Greek Revival building facing Thames Street, and William Taylor's store (c. 1838), likewise Greek Revival, to the north of the site. Most impressive is the DeWolf warehouse (1818), near the waterfront, a lengthy two-story block built in heavy masonry. Local tradition insists that the building was constructed of African stone, brought to America as ballast, but this seems insupportable. The final element of the site is the Old Bank of Bristol (1797), once a solid three-story brick building in the Federal style, although it was decapitated following the 1938 hurricane and is now a one-story torso.

Writing Credits

Author: 
William H. Jordy et al.

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